The Griffith brothers set off from Pennsylvania in 1833 to seek their fortunes, with Dillon hoping to be a trapper and Owen in search of gold, but they quickly realize that survival, and not success, is the main objective in the American West.

After her parents' deaths and the recession force her out of her home in 1873, Jenny Dousmann heads for the Wild West. She knows that if she can find her brother, Otto, a Civil War veteran, he'll take care of her. When they finally reunite, Jenny is surprised to find that Otto has been working as a buffalo hunter and is struggling even to support himself. The number of hunters in the West has increased rapidly, and buffalo has become scarce. To make...